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Happy thing: I am definitely slated for a part in an upcoming Second Stage production. The play in question is called The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, and is easily one of the more twisted Christmas-themed stories I've seen. It's certainly thought-provoking, though, and as the review puts it: "...it perverts Christmas beyond recognition, but a few minutes in any department store will soon fix that." As written, it's funny but often teeters on the line between comedy and social critique; often I found myself trying to decide if I should react with laughter or anger. A lot of the approach will probably depend on the individual interpretations and staging, so here's hoping they find a director and cast who are able to strike a good balance without getting too heavy-handed or too fluffy. I'll try my best, for certain.
Sad thing: Mystery, a very sweet little long-haired tuxedo kitty that Brian and I used to like visiting with at the shelter, had to be put down recently. She'd been there several months, and we were talking about possibly adopting her, but kept figuring she'd find a home eventually (she was a really friendly cat and, really, our apartment isn't large enough for more than the two kitties we have). Unfortunately she got very sick (along with a few of the other cats there), and I guess they didn't feel she was going to make it. Brian and I were both pretty sad about it - she was a wonderful little cat to visit. Hopefully she gets born into better circumstances the next time around.
Happy thing: Living in Alaska, I've done a fair amount of flying in my life. And I don't know if it's just that I've gotten bigger or the seats have gotten smaller or the service has gotten crappier or what, but over the past ten years of my life the concept of "flying" has gone from being a novelty to a simple necessity to a nuisance to a miserable experience to be dreaded. Flying coach is one of the few experiences that makes me feel truly claustrophobic; I think this is in large part due to the combined assault on your senses (visually cramped space, noisy environment, lavatory or unwashed-passenger odors, etc).
A couple years ago on a trip together, my mother lent me her noise-canceling earphones, and I was amazed at the difference they made. I've been struggling with myself ever since over getting a pair for myself; about the only time I'd use them is when flying, which made justifying the $300 price tag for a pair of Bose QuietComfort2s difficult, despite the fact that they're supposed to be the gold standard in the noise-canceling business. But I do fly semi-regularly, and the experience is awful enough that I was seriously considering it when Amazon recommended the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7s. They were less than half the price of the QC2s, so I looked up some professional reviews. The general consensus was that they were equivalent to if not better than the Bose offering in terms of noise-reduction and sound quality, with the added bonuses of being better constructed and much cheaper to boot. So I happily ordered a pair with my extra dividend money; it should be here in plenty of time for my next flight to Anchorage over Thanksgiving.
Sad thing: My brother is turning 21 in two weeks and I haven't heard directly from him for almost two years now. I realize that at this point in our lives we have almost nothing in common, and I also realize that he probably resents both my mother and me to a great extent - growing up in a family with two outspoken opinionated women and no real father figure must've been pretty stifling for a quieter kid. So I can understand why I don't hear from him much. But I do miss him...or at least, I miss the kind, caring and good-hearted kid he used to be. I really hope that kid still exists, underneath all his young-adult must-live-my-own-life-without-help-from-anyone angst that he seems to have picked up from Ian. Mum is certain that, sooner or later, he'll get over himself and learn to care about himself (and, following that, other people). I truly hope she's right.
Happy thing: I've been on a rock candy kick lately, but no one here in town sells the stuff. Fortunately, after some searching, I found an online candy seller that wouldn't charge an arm and a leg for shipping to Alaska, and ordered a whole box of rock candy-on-a-steeeek. Hopefully they'll be here tomorrow, but if not they'll definitely be here next week. Hooray!
Sad thing: Mystery, a very sweet little long-haired tuxedo kitty that Brian and I used to like visiting with at the shelter, had to be put down recently. She'd been there several months, and we were talking about possibly adopting her, but kept figuring she'd find a home eventually (she was a really friendly cat and, really, our apartment isn't large enough for more than the two kitties we have). Unfortunately she got very sick (along with a few of the other cats there), and I guess they didn't feel she was going to make it. Brian and I were both pretty sad about it - she was a wonderful little cat to visit. Hopefully she gets born into better circumstances the next time around.
Happy thing: Living in Alaska, I've done a fair amount of flying in my life. And I don't know if it's just that I've gotten bigger or the seats have gotten smaller or the service has gotten crappier or what, but over the past ten years of my life the concept of "flying" has gone from being a novelty to a simple necessity to a nuisance to a miserable experience to be dreaded. Flying coach is one of the few experiences that makes me feel truly claustrophobic; I think this is in large part due to the combined assault on your senses (visually cramped space, noisy environment, lavatory or unwashed-passenger odors, etc).
A couple years ago on a trip together, my mother lent me her noise-canceling earphones, and I was amazed at the difference they made. I've been struggling with myself ever since over getting a pair for myself; about the only time I'd use them is when flying, which made justifying the $300 price tag for a pair of Bose QuietComfort2s difficult, despite the fact that they're supposed to be the gold standard in the noise-canceling business. But I do fly semi-regularly, and the experience is awful enough that I was seriously considering it when Amazon recommended the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7s. They were less than half the price of the QC2s, so I looked up some professional reviews. The general consensus was that they were equivalent to if not better than the Bose offering in terms of noise-reduction and sound quality, with the added bonuses of being better constructed and much cheaper to boot. So I happily ordered a pair with my extra dividend money; it should be here in plenty of time for my next flight to Anchorage over Thanksgiving.
Sad thing: My brother is turning 21 in two weeks and I haven't heard directly from him for almost two years now. I realize that at this point in our lives we have almost nothing in common, and I also realize that he probably resents both my mother and me to a great extent - growing up in a family with two outspoken opinionated women and no real father figure must've been pretty stifling for a quieter kid. So I can understand why I don't hear from him much. But I do miss him...or at least, I miss the kind, caring and good-hearted kid he used to be. I really hope that kid still exists, underneath all his young-adult must-live-my-own-life-without-help-from-anyone angst that he seems to have picked up from Ian. Mum is certain that, sooner or later, he'll get over himself and learn to care about himself (and, following that, other people). I truly hope she's right.
Happy thing: I've been on a rock candy kick lately, but no one here in town sells the stuff. Fortunately, after some searching, I found an online candy seller that wouldn't charge an arm and a leg for shipping to Alaska, and ordered a whole box of rock candy-on-a-steeeek. Hopefully they'll be here tomorrow, but if not they'll definitely be here next week. Hooray!
